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| Photo: Manuel Claure/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix |
In view of a wave of drug-related violence in Rosario, Angel Di Maria has received threats at his family home which is based on the outskirts of the city, which Lionel Messi is also from.
The Benfica attacker, who has voiced his intention of ending his career at boyhood club, Rosario Central, has a message directed at him which read:
"Tell your son Angel not to come back to Rosario because we will kill a family member."
"Not even Pullaro is going to save you,"
referring to the provincial governor Maximiliano Pullaro.
"We don't leave paper notes. We leave bullets and dead people behind."
According to local media, the reason for the threat is yet to be known.
It was also reported that a car left a sign carrying the message addressed to Di Maria's family in front of the private neighborhood where the World Cup winner resides.
The 36-year-old is set to start in La Albiceleste's friendly game against Costa Rica and manager Lionel Scaloni said to newsmen: "Di Maria knows that he has our full support for whatever he needs. The important thing is that he plays, that will relax him a little."
Rosario is one of the world's biggest agro-port hub and is drenched in violence by drug trafficking groups. It has also been tagged by experts as an outlet for illegal drugs to be sent to other nations.
The threat last year to Messi was followed up by an attack by unknown gunmen on a supermarket owned by the family of his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo.